Blazing sun and big smiles at fall fair

With the popcorn popping, the pizza baking, the horses jumping, hotrods humming and stars singing, the 19th Pass Creek Fall Fair was an event that proclaimed success.

The smiles and warm tummies proved it. With dogs behaving their best at the dog show, kids had the chance to go crazy digging dirt with the Dirty Diggers and their machines at the lower end of the fair. And after a few moments of trepidation, the kids, with the help of their adult apprentices, were swinging dirt around like there was no tomorrow.

Th entertainment was a fine display of Kootenay talent with country and bluegrass from the likes of The Blueberry Pickers and Stone Willie. Hillbilly Trucker and Little Dave and the Blues Busters demonstrated the different styles of blues music. Saturday saw Two For Tripping as they wandered down melody lane and Nina Amelio teamed up with Yanive Feiner from Supercat Studios to deliver some acoustic renditions of the bluesy power pop off her recently released CD. Russel’s Blue Rose sang gospel tunes in the early Sunday morning.

It was a great family affair and community-building experience. A feeling of welcomeness was readily apparent. Whether you were a Scottie’s School of Highland Dance dancer, a blacksmith, clown, a horse jumper, a bass player or the farmer who grew a prize winning pumpkin, you were all part of the broad range of culture in the Kootenays that comes together in one day to make the Pass Creek Fall Fair an award winning event that grabs broad recognition.

The Pass Creek Fairground has been under the long-term volunteer care of a dedicated couple on the verge of retirement. The Pass Creek Regional Exhibition Society, which organizes and is responsible for the fair, would like to see the Regional District hire paid caretakers to look after of the fairground. The society is worried that without caretakers the event might be in jeopardy. A petition was circulated to gather signatures to show support for this proposal, and it will be given to the Regional District to pursue the matter.

With some luck and local political maneuvering the fall fair will hopefully be celebrating its 20th birthday next year with the same group of animal shenanigans and their human partners, larger then life vegetables and kids with smiles so broad that if you were a dentist you wouldn’t have to say, “Open wider please.”

Emil Garay pictured below, cruises away in his 1957 Ford Fairlane after winning first place in the fair’s Show and Shine. Derek Kaye photo

Shane Williams, a chainsaw artist, gazes (below) at an eagle while a fish gazes at him. Derek Kaye photo